| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| George Krashos |
Posted - 03 Jul 2004 : 03:49:42
Well, I’ve finally finished this novel and over all, I found it quite enjoyable. The protagonists were interesting (with minor nitpicks below), the fight scenes didn’t bore me – after all, the majority of FR novels are 75% battle scenes – and the plot chugged along enough to keep me turning pages – I especially liked the flashback/storytelling scenes. The one great thing about this novel was that Richard Lee Byers used real dragon names instead of descriptors like “Blaze” or “Shard”. Where names of this type were used, it was clear that this was pseudonym or what humans called that particular beast – not it’s real name. This has been a pet peeve of mine for ages and I thank Richard profusely for getting it right! As a novel and story it was a good read. As an FR novel however, I have a few quibbles.
Firstly, this is intended as constructive criticism so Richard Lee Byers can read on, or not, at his leisure – if he reads this at all.
I liked Dorn as a half-golem. I thought this characterization was well thought out, certainly novel and evoked great mental images. Raryn, as an arctic dwarf, appeared to be out of place. Not much time was spent on his motivation to leave his frigid home and I think – but will stand corrected – that he appeared in his arctic dwarf glory simply because arctic dwarves are exotic, different and available. In other words, him being an arctic dwarf didn’t add much to the story or plotline other than him, well, being an arctic dwarf.
As a sideline, I seem to detect a trend where FR novelists are combing through races and picking ones to portray in their novels for ‘something different’ or even, god forbid, for the ‘kewlness’ factor. I think Paul Kemp decided to put a tanarukk in his latest Border Kingdoms novel because he thought it would be great to write about a tanarukk. Never mind what we know about tanarukk in the Realms and the relative impossibility of a lone one turning up thousands of miles to the south in the Border Kingdoms, from where it should be (i.e. the Hellgate Keep, Fallen Lands, Greypeak Mountains region). But I digress …
An avariel. Living in Lyrabar. Well, I guess anything can happen. And usually does in FR novels. With the advent of 3E avariel have now lost their mystique, legendary status and seemingly, their rarity. With respect to Richard Lee Byers, I couldn’t see Taegan lasting more than a couple of months before the Red Wizards of Thay, the Zhentarim, or a host of evil mages swooped down on him (pun unintentional) and grabbed him for magical experimentation. Avariel, being winged, have always been the ultimate weird genetic breeding material coveted by priests and wizards throughout the ages. That might not be the case anymore with 3E. Heck we can now play avariels as characters (as well as phase doppleganger elf trolls) but in the context of The Rage, a bitter remnant of the Grey Forest moon elven community or a half-elf (noting that this has been done by Elaine with Arilyn) or a star elf from the Yuirwood would have worked better. It would have given the character more ‘in Realms’ believability for me and I couldn’t get the strange image of him wearing weird tabards and cloaks that bulged in all the wrong places because of his wings, out of my head.
It is abundantly clear from the content of The Rage that Richard Lee Byers gave pgs. 202-203 of the FRCS, a darned good perusal. In fact, they may have been the seed for his story. Unfortunately, this bare bones look at Impiltur caused him to screw up in terms of the twelve lords of Imphras II. We know who they are, we know what their names are – that is, if you’ve read the FR6 and FR9 supplements. Unfortunately Richard didn’t. So we have different Lords in place in the novel to those that exist in current gaming lore. Dang. The irony is that given Richard’s work on the War of the Spider Queen series he might have discussed this novel in passing with R A Salvatore, whereupon R A might have mentioned, “Hey, I wrote some stuff on Impiltur, years ago. It’s called FR9 The Bloodstone Lands. Why don’t you check it out?”
The last couple of pages, and the reference to the elven High Magic, has me intrigued and, to put it bluntly, a tad scared. I like the premise – I’m just not sure it had to be tied in with a mythal. There is more to elven High Magic than mythals. Why would a mystery city with a mythal control the dragon Rages? Why couldn’t a simple High Magic spell, cast in that same city, be the culprit? Like avariel, it appears that mythals are becoming more commonplace in the Realms also. But I’ll reserve judgement until I see books 2 and 3.
The return of Sammaster. Well, it had to happen eventually didn’t it? The greater FR community has been clamouring for it for years. The Northern Journey group set up a fabulous campaign on this sole idea. What didn’t gel for me here was the return of Sammaster – in Lyrabar. It’s clear that Richard Lee Byers has read the “Cult of the Dragon” accessory given the information presented regarding Sammaster. However, this source really doesn’t note much Cult activity in the lands of the Easting Reach – save for the mention of a deep dragon “Plunge” under Damara or Impiltur. The Cult strongholds are in Sembia, the northern Moonsea and as of “Lords of Darkness”, the Well of Dragons in the Heartlands. I’m guessing that Impiltur was used because it really is a blank canvas for any writer – especially when all the information you are going on is from FRCS. Sembia would have been nixed by the novel department on the basis that the Sembia series did this place more than enough justice. Perhaps the Heartlands would have been a better bet …?
To conclude, in terms of a novel, this is a good one. In terms of an FR novel, it’s a fair attempt. I’d really like to see more FR flavour in Richard’s writing. Much of this novel was spent in Lyrabar and yet we didn’t get a single street name, tavern name, business name or indeed any real feel for the place. It’s amazing what a few “Taegan knew he’d find him in the Bloated Gargoyle Inn, and set off for that rough dive in the Port Quarter”-type sentences can do to transport a reader to a place in the Realms. As it was, Richard could have been writing about the city of Greyhawk for all the information he gave us on the place. I wasn’t transported, but look forward to books 2 and 3.
-- George Krashos
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| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| DDH_101 |
Posted - 24 Aug 2004 : 02:16:56
I didn't say CHOSENS, I said that the dragons' rage would attract Mystra. It was said in Evermeet the novel (forgot which page) that dragons have a greater bond to the Weave than even the elves. So if all the dragons in the world went into a deadly rage, surely the Goddess of Magic would realize something was wrong.
What reasons do the Chosens have to suspect Sammaster is back? Well first of all, the increase in operations by the Cult of the Dragon in the past few years as mentioned in the book. Then there's also the involvement of high magic and suspected usage of a mythal's powers which would also draw the attention of the Chosens of Mystra and the Goddess of Magic herself. If you have read Dawn of Night by Paul S. Kemp, the main villain needed great powers to retrieve the Crown of Fire. At first, he thought about using a mythal's powers but then changed his mind because he knew that his plans would then be discovered by the Chosens if he tampered with a mythal. It's sorta the same idea. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 23 Aug 2004 : 20:00:39
quote:
Originally posted by DDH_101
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by DDH_101
However, the return of Sammaster shocked me. I actually dropped my book when I read to the point where Gorstag reveals that Sammaster is still alive. Lol. But this raises a question for me: would the Chosens of Mystra make an appearance in Book 2 and 3? After all, a supposedly dead ex-chosen of Mystra returns to control all the dragons of Faerun so they must be doing SOMETHING to stop Sammaster.
They have to know about it, first. 
Wooly Rupert, how could they NOT know about it?! Dragons are attacking the major cities of Faerun and killing many people. Also, dragons have a bond with the Weave so having all the draconic creatures of Faerun go into a rage would surely draw the attention of Mystra, who in turn will get her Chosens to stop this disaster. Then there's also that very simple logic that if a bunch of rugged mercenary hunters could discover Sammaster's plot, how hard could it be for the Chosens of Mystra?
How do we know that dragons would be felt by the Chosen? I've seen nothing to indicate this.
And what reason do the Chosen have, at the moment, to suspect that Sammy is back? They are likely doing other things -- like trying to protect cities, or their myriad other duties -- rather than poking around in old libraries.
There's not but about a dozen Chosen of Mystra, if that many. They are not all-seeing or all-knowing. And Sammy, as a former Chosen, would surely know to stay off of their radar, at least for the moment... |
| DDH_101 |
Posted - 23 Aug 2004 : 19:30:19
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by DDH_101
However, the return of Sammaster shocked me. I actually dropped my book when I read to the point where Gorstag reveals that Sammaster is still alive. Lol. But this raises a question for me: would the Chosens of Mystra make an appearance in Book 2 and 3? After all, a supposedly dead ex-chosen of Mystra returns to control all the dragons of Faerun so they must be doing SOMETHING to stop Sammaster.
They have to know about it, first.
Wooly Rupert, how could they NOT know about it?! Dragons are attacking the major cities of Faerun and killing many people. Also, dragons have a bond with the Weave so having all the draconic creatures of Faerun go into a rage would surely draw the attention of Mystra, who in turn will get her Chosens to stop this disaster. Then there's also that very simple logic that if a bunch of rugged mercenary hunters could discover Sammaster's plot, how hard could it be for the Chosens of Mystra? |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 23 Aug 2004 : 05:42:48
quote:
Originally posted by DDH_101
But this raises a question for me: would the Chosens of Mystra make an appearance in Book 2 and 3? After all, a supposedly dead ex-chosen of Mystra returns to control all the dragons of Faerun so they must be doing SOMETHING to stop Sammaster.
Good question and good point that WR mentions above in his reply. I hope the Chosen of Mystra don't make an appearance, save for a brief cameo. I hope we can go through one series on mainland Faerun involving a crisis without having them involved. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 23 Aug 2004 : 05:16:53
quote:
Originally posted by DDH_101
However, the return of Sammaster shocked me. I actually dropped my book when I read to the point where Gorstag reveals that Sammaster is still alive. Lol. But this raises a question for me: would the Chosens of Mystra make an appearance in Book 2 and 3? After all, a supposedly dead ex-chosen of Mystra returns to control all the dragons of Faerun so they must be doing SOMETHING to stop Sammaster.
They have to know about it, first. |
| DDH_101 |
Posted - 23 Aug 2004 : 04:30:24
Wow... I just finished reading The Rage. First of all, I agree with many other members on how interesting the idea of a half-golem dragon hunter is. In fact, it was this unique protagonist that got me to find out more about this book when I first heard of it at the WotC site.
The action and battles in the book were very good with lots of details. I liked how Richard Lee Byers didn't make the fights too easy for the protagonist since they have a dragon by their side by giving reasons for Kara to stay in human form or have them fight against equally challenging opponents like the dracoliches.
However, the return of Sammaster shocked me. I actually dropped my book when I read to the point where Gorstag reveals that Sammaster is still alive. Lol. But this raises a question for me: would the Chosens of Mystra make an appearance in Book 2 and 3? After all, a supposedly dead ex-chosen of Mystra returns to control all the dragons of Faerun so they must be doing SOMETHING to stop Sammaster. |
| Richard Lee Byers |
Posted - 23 Jul 2004 : 13:44:23
Glad you liked it, Brenigin. |
| Brenigin |
Posted - 23 Jul 2004 : 10:00:22
Just thought I'd drop in some praise for Richard's work on The Rage. I found myself enjoying it very much from start to finish and, while I agree to an extent with some George's comments that started this thread, I think it is a fine piece of Realms fiction.
One thing I particularly liked was how The Rage was very much written to the game rules - something which, when done well, can really up the enjoyment level for a gamer-reader. As just one small example, Queen Sambryl's defiance of the Paladins on her council was a classic Chaotic Good vs. Lawful Good moment.
- |
| Alaundo |
Posted - 20 Jul 2004 : 09:52:33
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Fair enough. The Rage it is.
Oh, Alaundo, regarding the matter you e-mailed me privately about: I'm "on the case" and will let you know ASAP, okay?
And regardign your hope stated above: I can say that there are deeply secret plans afoot . . . and I'm afraid that's all I can say, right now.
Thanks, SiriusBlack, and apologies to Winterfox.
THO
Well met
Thank ye, Hooded One. I hope to hear from you soon on this matter. I had actually wondered if my personal scroll to you had become lost in transit  |
| The Hooded One |
Posted - 19 Jul 2004 : 18:35:41
Fair enough. The Rage it is.
Oh, Alaundo, regarding the matter you e-mailed me privately about: I'm "on the case" and will let you know ASAP, okay?
And regardign your hope stated above: I can say that there are deeply secret plans afoot . . . and I'm afraid that's all I can say, right now.
Thanks, SiriusBlack, and apologies to Winterfox.
THO |
| Alaundo |
Posted - 19 Jul 2004 : 09:40:18
Well met
Thank ye SiriusBlack  Although watch the sparks, they sometimes burn
Indeed very interesting to hear, Hooded One. I have always taken great interest myself in the Sembia series and can only hope that a similar vein be taken on another Realms series (being an anthology introduction followed by dedicated novels thereafter).
That said, all, lets please keep this particular scroll dedicated to the most wonderful tome, entitled The Rage. Certainly feel free to create a new scroll for discussions of the Uskevrens et al.  |
| Winterfox |
Posted - 19 Jul 2004 : 05:25:17
quote:
Originally posted by SiriusBlack
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
(Hmm. Winterfox, Shamur seems to be another shot right through your argument about all the female leads in the Realms being beautiful special Mary Sues. Right?)
THO
Actually, if I recall correctly, Winterfox when she initially put forth her views specifically stated Shamur as an exception. I may be wrong, but that's how I recall it.
Sirius who is trying to head something off at the pass before it starts up again. 
Thank you.
And, Hooded One? I've never said that all FR female leads are Mary Sues. No hyperbole, please. |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 19 Jul 2004 : 01:20:16
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
(Hmm. Winterfox, Shamur seems to be another shot right through your argument about all the female leads in the Realms being beautiful special Mary Sues. Right?)
THO
Actually, if I recall correctly, Winterfox when she initially put forth her views specifically stated Shamur as an exception. I may be wrong, but that's how I recall it.
Sirius who is trying to head something off at the pass before it starts up again. |
| Richard Lee Byers |
Posted - 19 Jul 2004 : 00:46:31
Hooded One, that's wonderful to hear. I have the utmost respect and admiration for Ed, along with a whole lot of gratitude for all the help he's given me whenever I've asked for it (even though I'm virtually certain he gets these requests constantly from FR writers.) So naturally, his opinion means a great deal to me. |
| The Hooded One |
Posted - 18 Jul 2004 : 23:55:59
I concur. The Stormweather series was an interesting experiment that turned into a solid artistic success. I know Ed of the Greenwood was most concerned about the handling of two Uskevren family members in particular, because they were the two he’d created well before he and Phil started schemXXX er, planning the saga, and had established firmly as characters in the Realms.
Those two were Thamalon (the elder) and his wife Shamur. Ed all along intended to do Thamalon, and examine an old man facing death and trying to reconcile himself with his family (his wife in particular), leave a legacy, and as much as possible continue to influence matters in his home city from beyond the grave, ere he died. In the end, when Ed’s incredible schedule (never in my professional experience have I seen one man do so much simultaneously for two publishers!) forced the cancellation of PRIDE OF THE LION, Dave Gross ably handled Thamalon.
Richard Lee Byers took on Shamur, and Ed was very pleased with the result. As he e-mailed me, “I want every writer involved in this to have the freedom to make their character their own, and tell the story they want to tell -- but in the case of those two characters, I personally want a harder feat managed at the same time: as Elaine [Cunningham] did with Elaith [Craulnober], the writer has to ‘get it right’ -- capture the character I’ve already drawn, and proceed with them from there.”
Mr. Byers pulled it off, and I remember Ed’s grin as he handed me my copy (he regularly buys -- yes, buys -- copies of most Realms novels for most of us players) of THE SHATTERED MASK and said, “He got it right.”
(Hmm. Winterfox, Shamur seems to be another shot right through your argument about all the female leads in the Realms being beautiful special Mary Sues. Right?)
THO
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| Winterfox |
Posted - 18 Jul 2004 : 06:03:11
quote:
Originally posted by Richard Lee Byers
Winterfox: I want to do more with Shamur. Keep your fingers crossed.
Yes!
*crosses fingers* |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 17 Jul 2004 : 16:07:20
quote:
Originally posted by Richard Lee Byers
Winterfox: I want to do more with Shamur. Keep your fingers crossed.
Count some more fingers as I'd love to see that character featured once again. |
| Richard Lee Byers |
Posted - 17 Jul 2004 : 15:07:20
Winterfox: I want to do more with Shamur. Keep your fingers crossed. |
| Winterfox |
Posted - 17 Jul 2004 : 04:59:25
quote:
Originally posted by Richard Lee Byers
Glad you liked it, Lauzoril. Thanks for taking the time to tell me so.
To serve up a crass and shameless bit of self-promotion, if you like Will and Pavel, you'll probably enjoy my short story in the forthcoming Realsm of the Dragons anthology. They're the two stars.
Whee. I'll keep an eye out for that one.
Now, if I get a Shamur-centric short story (ideally a full-length novel, but...), I'd be a happy girl and sacrifice the firstborn of my, uh, pet goldfish in gratitude. |
| Richard Lee Byers |
Posted - 16 Jul 2004 : 21:41:41
Glad you liked it, Lauzoril. Thanks for taking the time to tell me so.
To serve up a crass and shameless bit of self-promotion, if you like Will and Pavel, you'll probably enjoy my short story in the forthcoming Realsm of the Dragons anthology. They're the two stars. |
| Lauzoril |
Posted - 16 Jul 2004 : 20:09:53
I just completed this book and liked it. The pacing was well done, cutting a fine line between action and mundane events. The conflict with the Banites/Zhentarim was interesting. The final battles of Taegan and Dorn were very exciting, giving the feel of total loss.
All in all, things concluded nicely in the first book. Sammaster's and the heroes' part pawed the way for future nicely.
One of the most enjoyable things in this novel was the occasional verbal bantering between Will and Pavel.
Good work Richard, I'm looking forward for the next chapter.
|
| Richard Lee Byers |
Posted - 11 Jul 2004 : 14:42:52
SPOILER SPACE
SPOILER SPACE
SPOILER SPACE
Krafus: Yep, Sammaster betrayed Quelsandas. With a song of glee in his withered, silent, worm-eaten heart. There's no place in his New World Order for metallic dragons, or even metallic dragon dracoliches.
I suppose I could have portrayed Sam as taking satisfaction in luring a good dragon into undeath. But the way I saw it, Sam has often suffered defeat and humiliation at the hands (or talons, whatever) of good dragons. It somehow made more sense to me that he would relish morally corrupting a bronze dragon, then selling him out, denying him what was supposed to be the reward for his despicable labors, and shattering his sanity.
Because, hey, Sam's the bad guy. |
| Krafus |
Posted - 11 Jul 2004 : 14:25:54
quote:
Originally posted by Richard Lee Byers
George: Quelsandas's motivation is fully explained in Book 1, or at least I hope it is. Here's the deal:
SPOILER SPACE
SPOILER SPACE
Quelsandas is afraid of permanently losing his mind to the coming Rage, which, like many dragons, he senses will be different than those before it. He wants to avoid madness by having the Cult of the Dragon turn him into a dracolich. Sammaster promises him the desired conversion in return for serving as the Cult's secret agent within the royal forces of Impiltur.
Clear?
Wow. This is an even bigger betrayal than I thought. However, it leaves me wondering. Quelsandas was affected by the Rage. So did Sammaster betray him and the deal? A fitting fate for a traitor, but one would think that Sammy would be enthusiastic at the thought of transforming a supposedly good dragon into an evil dracolich. |
| Richard Lee Byers |
Posted - 11 Jul 2004 : 14:19:16
George: Quelsandas's motivation is fully explained in Book 1, or at least I hope it is. Here's the deal:
SPOILER SPACE
SPOILER SPACE
Quelsandas is afraid of permanently losing his mind to the coming Rage, which, like many dragons, he senses will be different than those before it. He wants to avoid madness by having the Cult of the Dragon turn him into a dracolich. Sammaster promises him the desired conversion in return for serving as the Cult's secret agent within the royal forces of Impiltur.
Clear? |
| Krafus |
Posted - 11 Jul 2004 : 14:13:37
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
<SPOILER SPACE>
One other plot thread that I was wondering about from "The Rage" that I forgot to include in my first post was about the bronze dragon Quelsandas. We see the scene where Sammaster approaches him and then the next time he appears he betrays the forces of Impiltur and is slain by Taegan et. al. Did I miss the part in the novel where the motivation for his betrayal was explained? Is it something that will be explained in book 2?
-- George Krashos
I doubt it will be explained any more than Sammaster's return was. Though apparently Quelsandas thought he himself wouldn't be affected by the Rage, as shown by his words. So my guess is that Sammaster convinced him to betray his allies in exchange for immunity against the Rage. |
| George Krashos |
Posted - 11 Jul 2004 : 10:39:53
<SPOILER SPACE>
One other plot thread that I was wondering about from "The Rage" that I forgot to include in my first post was about the bronze dragon Quelsandas. We see the scene where Sammaster approaches him and then the next time he appears he betrays the forces of Impiltur and is slain by Taegan et. al. Did I miss the part in the novel where the motivation for his betrayal was explained? Is it something that will be explained in book 2?
-- George Krashos
|
| Lord Rad |
Posted - 11 Jul 2004 : 10:30:11
Another of my favorite scenes was the battle at the fortress between Vorasaegha and the dracolich. The battle was amazing and then suddenly just as Voraseagha had the upper hand, the dracolich said calmly "the elves are no more, your pact is ended. Go to our rest"....and that was it, Voraseagha disappeared is a puff of dust!
Amazing!  |
| Lord Rad |
Posted - 11 Jul 2004 : 10:25:43
I particulary liked the scene when the party arrived in Elventree to find that the Zhentarim stood monitoring arrivals to the town. One of the Zhentarim stated that the Rage was occuring all over the Moonsea region and that they should all "put aside their differences" and band together to combat this threat. Made me feel warm 
...of course, Zhentarim being Zhentarim then proceeded to show their corrupted ways by means of extortion and such, and ruined the whole togetherness of it all Excellent writing, very well done. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 10 Jul 2004 : 21:05:32
quote:
Originally posted by Krafus
So far it's "interesting" for me, but not Realms-shaking (yet). Maybe because so far it has affected little-seen parts of Faerun, maybe because the characters are all new, but so far it lacks an epic feel. This is just the first book, though, and it may be that my opinion will change with the next ones. Mentions of well-known locales, or cameos by prominent NPCs would, for me, do much to give the impression that this is a Realms-shaking event. The Return of the Archwizards managed it - the Chosen of Mystra, characters from Waterdeep, Cormyr, the Dalelands, Sembia, Evereska and Evermeet were involved, if only peripherally sometimes.
I agree with this statement. We've not yet seen enough for it to be a RSE. Mayhaps the second book will expand the effects of the Rage even further, and then we'll have a true RSE. |
| Krafus |
Posted - 10 Jul 2004 : 20:44:46
quote:
Originally posted by Sage of Stars
Meanwhile, as SiriusBlack and Wooly Rupert have both suggested, back to the Rage. I’ve discussed RSEs (the “this year’s event” side of them rather than the “Realms shaking” side of them) with WotC Publishing Group staff and publicists at some of the industry trade shows, such as BEA, and I’m interested in the opinions of some of the long-time Realms fiction readers here: is the Year of Rogue Dragons thus far shaping up as “Realms-shaking” or “interesting” or…what?
So far it's "interesting" for me, but not Realms-shaking (yet). Maybe because so far it has affected little-seen parts of Faerun, maybe because the characters are all new, but so far it lacks an epic feel. This is just the first book, though, and it may be that my opinion will change with the next ones. Mentions of well-known locales, or cameos by prominent NPCs would, for me, do much to give the impression that this is a Realms-shaking event. The Return of the Archwizards managed it - the Chosen of Mystra, characters from Waterdeep, Cormyr, the Dalelands, Sembia, Evereska and Evermeet were involved, if only peripherally sometimes. |
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